Against the cataclysmic forces of Nature, few have responded as well as the Japanese (courtesy of Joseph Friedman)
Have you wondered what made the Japanese such a resilient and robust group of people? How do they overcome the challenges of living in one of the most disaster prone areas of the world?
Often, it is in the worst of times that you see the best in people. Nothing is more true than how the Japanese faced the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the Northeast coast of Japan.
Reading the right diving signals can save your life (courtesy of A Nice Gesture)
What’s the similarity between body language, hour of the day, voice level, “weather”, and tone of email? Give up?
Well, they provide perceptual cues on how somebody is feeling and are useful in determining whether you should “go for the kill”, wait for another opportune moment, or adopt a different strategy altogether.
If you don’t already know it, paying people more money – at least beyond a certain point – will not result in better performance. In fact, the old carrot-and-stick approach to management is broken.
That’s what bestselling author and careerist Daniel Pink claims. According to the motivational speaker and writer, higher financial incentives only work for traditionally mechanistic roles – manufacturing tasks, book-keeping, software programming and the like.
I’ve been blogging since September 2005. That made the Cooler Insights blog at least 13 years old.
Which is ancient in the super fast digital and social age, making me one of the few social media pioneers who are still keeping at it.
Thomas Edison worked endlessly to become the world’s greatest inventor, with a record 1,097 patents to his name (picture source)
There are no secret potion you can quaff for instant riches. Nor will that two day workshop bring you instant fame and glory.
Our world is full of shamans, witch-doctors, snake-oil salesmen and ‘gurus’ encouraging people to take short cuts to success. We are relentlessly bombarded with pitches to instant riches, fame and glory.
What emotion is she displaying here? (Designed by Freepik)
As a fairly prosaic person who thinks more than he feels, I am not naturally given to bursts of extreme joy, anger or sorrow.
Adopting a rather Zen-like philosophy in life, I try to stick to the middle path. If a particularly contentious issue comes my way, I normally try to resolve it in the most amicable and least conflicting manner.
Challenges. Problems. Uncertainties. Obstacles. Stress.
These words form the lexicon of modern life, where resources – both financial and natural – are increasing being depleted while the demands of work, school and life put a severe drain on our beings.
Leon Comber – polymath and overall great guy. (Courtesy of Chinatownology)
Yesterday afternoon, I had an enjoyable time meeting Dr Leon Comber, an honorary research fellow at the Monash Asia Institute of Monash University.
A charming man with a wry sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye, Leon is a polymath of diverse interests and talents.
Don Quixote Attacking The Windmill (source of image)
What could a short-sighted, slightly insane and fictitious “knight” from Spain teach us about leadership? Quite a bit apparently, especially if your heart for leadership has grown cold.
One of the greatest fictional works in the late 16th century by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote told the story of a seemingly deranged middle-aged retiree in his 50s who became obsessed with tales of knighthood, fantasy and chivalry.
Everybody knows that we are now in a recessionary economy. The diagnosis doesn’t look good for the months ahead, and there may be further job losses in the horizon. It is also an employer’s market now and good candidates are more readily available.
Against such a backdrop, it is more crucial than ever to present yourself in a positive light during job interviews. After working so hard to secure it battling with hundreds of other candidates (and it does get this plentiful), the last thing you need is to throw it all away by being ill-prepared.
